OrbaLin

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OrbaLin

OrbaLin was aUgormaleJedi Master andarchivist during theHigh Republic Era. Serving aboard theStarlight Beaconspace station, OrbaLin led the autopsy of aHutttrader whose corpse had been found on a derelictstarship after aNihilattack. Later, OrbaLin represented Starlight's Jedi at theValo Republic Fair whileMarshalAvar Kriss was off fighting theDrengir, and foughtNihil raiders during theirattack. Due to the largely formless nature of his species, OrbaLin wore an environment suit in order to function in environments tolerable tohumans andnear-humans.

Biography[]

OrbaLin, amaleUgor, was the first member of hisspecies to ever join theJedi Order.^[1] During theHigh Republic Era, he became aJedi Master^[5] and the residentJedi archivist aboard thespace stationStarlight Beacon.^[3] He was able to duplicate himself to appear in multiple places at once.^[6] At the station'sdedication ceremony, OrbaLin encountered recently elevated Jedi MasterElzar Mann and had a conversation with him, although Mann found him boring.^[1] Later, OrbaLin oversaw the autopsy of aHutt^[3] who had been found on a derelictstarship after aNihilattack^[7] alongsideJedi KnightVernestra Rwoh and herPadawan,Imri Cantaros.^[3]

While the autopsy was ongoing, OrbaLin assured MasterEstala Maru that they were following strict quarantine procedures. However, he found that the attack had not been what killed theHutt; instead, its systems had seemingly been infected by aroot system. As OrbaLin reported the findings to Maru, the Hutt's corpse exploded, releasing thesentientcarnivorous plants known as theDrengir, who proceeded toattack the station.^[3] The attack was eventually thwarted when KnightKeeve Trennis, on theplanetSedri Minor, used amind trick on the Drengir hivemind to momentarily force them into agalaxy-wide retreat.^[8] In the aftermath, Starlight'sJediMarshalAvar Kriss led acampaign against the Drengir across the worlds in theOuter Rim under threat, making an alliance with factions of theHutt Clan led byMyarga Anjiliac Atirue.^[9]

During the lead-up to theRepublic Fair onValo, OrbaLin came to represent the Starlight Beacon in Kriss' stead while she was off fighting the Drengir, to the private disappointment of Mann, who had hoped to see Kriss.^[1] Via his duplication,^[10] he was also present at theassault on Mulita under Kriss to take down the Drengir'sGreat Progenitor. While that battle ended in success, the concurrentValo Republic Fair came underattack from theNihilpirates,^[11] and OrbaLin's Valo duplicate teamed up with thejournalistRhil Dairo to reach theStarlight Pavilion and try to send adistress signal during the chaos.^[1]

Before they could send the distress signal, OrbaLin and Rhil were attacked byLourna Dee and some of her underlings. OrbaLin fought theTwi'lek marauder and her compatriots among a display of priceless historicalJedi artifacts. The archivist lectured the attackers on the artifacts while throwing the same artifacts at them and simultaneously wielding his lightsaber. The Ugor managed to defeat them through a combination of boring them and skillful use of his blade. After defeating Lourna and her fellow Nihil, OrbaLin and Dairo sent the distress signal.^[1]

During theDestruction of Starlight Beacon, Dee took her revenge on OrbaLin by shooting him through his glass dome, leaving his body on the floor as his form spilled out.^[12] While she assumed her foe was dead, OrbaLin's formless nature ensured he survived and he slipped away.^[6] Nevertheless left with injuries because his form had not been centralized as one body when he was shot,^[10] in addition to general side-effects to his many duplications, OrbaLin was left with a mental damage and found himself trapped behind thestormwall. He andMonshi escaped Starlight in anescape pod that landed onKindosorn. The archivist attacked Trennis before he recognized her. Once he realized his mistake, he took the group back to a cabin where Monshi was recovering from injuries. OrbaLin explained that Sskeer was also on Kindosorn, hiding in theRuins of Tadneer, and had lost control of his senses. He travelled withTerec,Ceret, and Monshi back to the shuttle with a plan of returning to theAtaraxia only to discover the shuttle had been sabotaged and was unflyable.^[6] He stood guard while thebond-twins examined the craft. When the Jedi felt the presence of a Nameless, he helped Ceret fight the effects.^[13] OrbaLin was present whenTey Sirrek showed up and killed the Nameless. TheSephi explained his past and that he was there to help the Jedi deal withH'Tar who was hunting the Force users. OrbaLin was wary of Sirrek but accepted his help.^[14]

Trennis returned with Sskeer and ayoung girl who lashed out with the Force when she saw the dead Nameless. OrbaLin attempted to counteract the attack. Ceret drew his lightsaber and advanced on the girl, enraging Sskeer. Using his gelatinous form, OrbaLin tried to restrain the Trandoshan but was flung away. Once the situation was under control, he realized that Monshi had died and was grief-stricken.^[15]

OrbaLin travelled with the rest of the group in pursuit of H'Tar who had kidnapped the girl. He was onboard theAtaraxia while Sskeer, Dee and Sirrek infiltratedShingcu Station and expressed his concern over Sskeer's condition and how it would effect him if he encountered a Nameless.^[16] The archivist needed a task to distract himself from the Nameless effect, so he restoredQ-4's circuits and had the droid take over the piloting duties. He and the other Jedi boarded the station where he ran into Dee who was returning to theAtaraxia and decided to accompany her to make sure she didn't try to steal the Star Cruiser again. Back on the ship, OrbaLin saw Baron Boolan flee the station and took the child from Dee so she could pursue in aJedi Vector. When she inquired about the weapon systems on the Jedi Vector, OrbaLin informed her that they could only be activated by a lightsaber.^[17]

Following a tracking signal, OrbaLin and the rest of the team made their way to ahidden base in an asteroid field. The team used ashuttle to fly to the Nihil facility. He and Trennis paired up to try and locate Boolan. He admitted that he was being overwhelmed by the Nameless effect. They continued and came across Boolan experimenting on Sskeer. Trennis went to rescue her old Master while OrbaLin was attacked by a Nameless and was saved when Sskeer took the control headset from Boolan and used it to order all the Nameless away from the Jedi.^[18]

OrbaLin was on theGios that was part of theStormwall Defense Fleet patrolling theStormwall. Part of him was on the flight deck, scanning the Stormwall, while another part greeted Trennis in a hangar bay withChit-Chit. He informed Trennis thatCibaba was joining their team.^[19]

OrbaLin and Cibaba were monitoring the stormwall when they noticed it suddenly disappeared. Trennis ordered OrbaLin to launch anEX-droid to confirm the readings. Once confirmed, the fleet went toNaboo where OrbaLin piloted two separate Jedi Vector fighters in defense of the fleet.^[20] He travelled toEriadu and split himself several times in order to pilot multiple starfighters. During the Nihil attack on the planet, one of his duplicates was killed when the ship he was piloting was destroyed by a Nihil fighter. Another OrbaLin came under fire but was saved when Dee arrived and eliminated the Nihil attacker and he thanked her for the assistance. When her ship came under fire, he returned the favor by disabling the engines of the Nihil ship.^[21] As the battle continued, another OrbaLin was attacked byscav droids. He died when they tore apart his Vector and this caused OrbaLin to collapse in the cockpit of the Vector he was piloting. Sskeer sentAi-Dan Yelooc to assist in returning incapacitated ObraLin to theGios.^[22]

After the defeat of the Nihil, OrbaLin travelled to theBeacon onDalna with other dignitaries to celebrate. He baked some of Yoda's favorite recipes for the celebration.^[23]

Personality and traits[]

An Ugor male, OrbaLin wore anenvironment suit in most locations in order to maintain ahumanoid form, using pseudopods to animate the suit and to move. His true form wasgreen and amorphous. He enjoyed bursting into lectures about historical subjects and the artifacts he looked after, although Master Elzar Mann considered him capable of boring the wings off of aDrethi.^[1] The archivist was insistent on the importance of proper procedure, but also somewhat witty, interrupting Cantaros complaining about how disgusting he found the autopsy to point out that the Padawan had had a good question regarding the causes of the Hutt's death. He was stoic in the face of danger, reacting to a Drengir attack by telling Maru that the station's quarantine measures were about to be tested to their limits.^[3]

While he was able to duplicate himself,^[10] each duplicate did not have awareness of the other's actions: as one OrbaLin was busy in the assault on Mulita,^[11] another was part of the Valo Republic Fair and suddenly found himself fighting the Nihil.^[1] Despite the presence of an OrbaLin at both,^[10] the Mulita Jedi were unaware of the Nihil attack until they were informed about it.^[11] His many duplications,^[6] combined with the injuries sustained by Dee while his form was not centralized,^[10] left him with mental damage.^[6] Splitting into multiples also affected his reflexes.^[21]

Powers and abilities[]

OrbaLin was experienced in the use ofForce powers such astelekinesis, as well aslightsaber combat. When his environment suit was breached during a fight with Nihil, the archivist used the amorphous nature of his true form against his opponents to a considerable advantage.^[1]

Furthermore, OrbaLin was masterful at weaponizing lectures on historical artifacts. When cornered by Lourna Dee and two other members of herTempest at the Valo Republic Fair, the archivist engaged the marauders in combat while lecturing them about Jedi artifacts he threw at them. By boring the pirates with historical details of arcane Jedi technology, OrbaLin disoriented his attackers and gained the upper hand.^[1]

Orbalin was able to pilotJedi Vectors and could split into multiple copies of himself.^[24]

Equipment[]

OrbaLin wore a white environment suit with gold detailing and browngloves andbelt, and a domed blue helmet with two breathing tubes.^[3] The suit had a compartment in one sleeve for OrbaLin's short, green-bladedlightsaber.^[1] During the autopsy, he rode a one-personrepulsorlift platform with an attached control panel.^[3]

Behind the scenes[]

OrbaLin first appeared in thefourth issue of the comic book seriesStar Wars: The High Republic, written byCavan Scott.^[3]

The comic's eighth issue contains an apparent continuity error with Scott's novelThe High Republic: The Rising Storm regarding OrbaLin's whereabouts: the novel depicts OrbaLin as present on Valo for the Fair, representing the Starlight Beacon while Avar Kriss is offfighting the Drengir onMulita.^[1]The High Republic (2021) 8, however, depicts OrbaLin participating in the battle on Mulita at the same time.^[11] Scott admitted that this was a mistake,^[25] and said he had come up with an in-universe explanation for the error to be revealed in future media.^[26] This was later given inThe High Republic (2023) 4, revealing that OrbaLin was capable of duplicating himself, thus explaining how he was in two places at once.^[6] In an interview, Scott said that OrbaLin was inspired bybond-twins Terec and Ceret, which was why he split himself into two bodies.^[10]

Appearances[]

Sources[]

• "Ahsoka Tano and Other Users of the Force" —Star Wars Encyclopedia(Picture only)
• "Database" —Star Wars - Das offizielle Magazin 107
• Star Wars: The High Republic: Chronicles of the Jedi
• Star Wars: Timelines
• Star Wars: The High Republic Character Encyclopedia
• SDCC 2024:The Acolyte Publishing Program and Other Reveals from the Lucasfilm Panel onStarWars.com(backup link)
• This Week! in Star WarsDispatch: Outlaws, High Republic, and More! on the officialStar WarsYouTube channel(backup link)
• This Week! in Star WarsNYCC Star Wars Reveals on the officialStar WarsYouTube channel(backup link)
• "Launchpad" —Star Wars Insider 228(Indirect mention only)
• Star Wars: The High Republic: The Lightsaber Collection
• "Launchpad" —Star Wars Insider 229(Picture only)
• Star Wars: Master of Evil, a New Darth Vader Novel, Turns the Page on the Sith Lord onStarWars.com(backup link)(Picture only)
• "Writing History" —Star Wars Insider 231(Indirect mention only)
• SDCC 2025: Highlights from the Lucasfilm Publishing Panel onStarWars.com(backup link)(Picture only)
• Star Wars: The High Republic Chronological Reader's Guide onStarWars.com(article) (backup link)(Picture only)
• "Star Wars: The High Republic: Phase III Companion" —Star Wars Insider 234

Notes and references[]